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WASHINGTON (Reuters)  The average retail price for gasoline dropped 11 cents in the last week to $1.70 a gallon, the cheapest price since February 2004, the Energy Information Administration said Monday.

The national price for regular unleaded gasoline is down $1.30 from a year ago, the EIA said in its weekly survey of service stations.

The average price of gasoline fell in every region of the country, as economic turmoil kept cutting fuel demand.

Even with cost of gasoline declining, the American Public Transportation Association said ridership on public transit was up 6.5% in the third quarter from the same period in 2007 — the largest quarterly ridership increase in 25 years.

Gasoline was most expensive in the Central Atlantic region at $1.85, down 10.2 cents. Miami had the highest big city price at $1.87, down 15.8 cents.

The Midwest had the lowest regional price at $1.60 a gallon, down 11.5 cents. Houston had the lowest pump prices at $1.57, down 6.4 cents from last week.

The EIA also reported gasoline prices were down 12.5 cents at $1.65 in Chicago; down 9.2 cents at $1.71 in Boston; down 10.6 cents at $1.85 in Seattle; down 7.9 cents at $1.61 in Denver; down 15.7 cents at $1.82 in Los Angeles; down 10 cents at $1.84 in New York City; down 8.4 cents at $1.60 in Cleveland; and down 13.3 cents at $1.84 in San Francisco.

Separately, the average price for diesel fuel fell 10 cents to $2.52 a gallon, down 81 cents from a year ago, the EIA said.

The New England states had the most expensive diesel at $2.85 a gallon, down 10.5 cents. The West Coast had the cheapest diesel at $2.42 a gallon, down 13.2 cents.

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